Three Malaysians arrested for credit card fraud

PATHUM THANI, Feb 4 - Three Malaysian nationals were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly being members of a counterfeit credit card ring, according to police.

Pol Maj Gen Smith Mukdasanit, commander of Pathum Thani provincial police, said three men identified as Tee Hock Peng, 50, Tan Cheng Hock, 57, and Lee Jian Tyng, 24, were suspected of being members of an electronic card skimming syndicate.

The police were earlier informed of unusual practices of a group of foreigners who purchased goods with electronic cards and when the machines rejected the payment, they would switch to many other cards until one of them was accepted.

Police coordinated with banks which confirmed that the cards were counterfeit.

The three suspects confessed to the police that they would immediately destroy a card once they could use it to buy goods, while the items they purchased would be later sold, with the money shared among them.

They were charged with possession of fake credit cards as well as for illegally producing, obtaining, and transporting counterfeit credit cards for use in the Kingdom.